Hi, mommies-of-multiples! I'm in awe of you. What a wonderful experience it must be to be blessed exponentially!

I'm a sling-wearing, extended-breastfeeding, cosleeping, gentle (i try) disciplining AP parent of a toddler and infant. My younger sister just found out she's being blessed with twins after TTC for quite awhile. Yay!!!! We're really happy! Anyway, she's not sure she's gonna breastfeed.... . Now, we were all AP'd in my family when we were little, so she herself was breastfed for 3 years. She's feeling overwhelmed and anxious (in addition to deliriously happy). She's also not sure she's gonna stay home with them...... .

Anywhooooooo, I just wondered if you could give me a list of books on AP-ing twins so that I could get some for her to look through. Books, magazines, websites on AP-ing twins would be really helpful. I don't want to shove it down here throat. But, she's a reader, so a book list would be really helpful.

Okay, my dh is bugging me cause he wants to use the computer. I'll be back later. Thanks, mommies.

Congrats to you and your sister too! Her emotions sound much like mine when I found out, also after many years of trying and treatments. I also wondered if I could possibly breastfeed and stay home and so on and so forth.

There are some great books out there and I'll mention a few that I love:
1. Mothering Multiples by Karen Kerkhoff Gromada. This is an LLL book and it saved my sanity and preserved my breastfeeding experience (17 months and still going strong in spite of many many difficulties early on!). Also check out her website at www.karengromada.com. She answers some of the basic questions twin moms to be have on the site, and the book has lots and lots of detail. Great stuff!

2. Having Twins by Elisabeth Noble is a classic in the field. My doctor, also a mom of twins, gave me her old dog-eared copy as soon as we found out I was carrying twins. It was a great read and hugely encouraging. The book is recently out in a new edition and though I haven't seen that it comes highly recommended by those who loved the old edition too.

Another book and website that will help her navigate her pregnancy is When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads by Dr. Barbara Luke and Tamara Eberlein. This is primarily about multiple pregnancy and is not as heavily promoting of breastfeeding as some of us might like. But her nutritional information is cutting-edge research-based and she's a gem. She also runs a nutritional service at her website, www.drbarbaraluke.com. I signed up for this and got weekly nutritional counseling, lots of phone support during my many complications, and I just can't say enough about Dr. Luke and what she's doing for twin pregnancy. A word of warning though - no information on working with a midwife in this book, if that's the way your sister is going I think the Elisabeth Noble book is more directed that way. But Dr. Luke's book is a must-read for info on what to do in the case of problems and how to manage your nutritional needs so that your babies can be born healthy and as close to due date as possible.

I'm sure others will chime in with their reviews of these books and recommendations for others. Good luck and congrats and to your sister - welcome to the wild ride that is twin pregnancy!

Amy -- thank you so much. That's going to be really helpful. I want to make sure that the books & materials I give her are AP-based, so that she's sure to get a dose of AP reading. Especially since I'm sure other people will buy her books that are not AP.

I loved the pictures of the mommy double slinging her twins. Really cool. You could totally go grocery shopping with that double slinging, and have both hands free.

I loved the pictures of the mommy double slinging her twins. Really cool. You could totally go grocery shopping with that double slinging, and have both hands free.

If you're talking about the pictures on Karen's photo page, 3 of the 4 sling pictures are me & yes, I did many a shopping trip that way, I knew I had mastered the whole "twin thing" when I went through checkout while nursing both kids and nobody even noticed LOL.

Holy cow I'm impressed. I never got the hang of double slinging as I felt my arms were pinned too far apart to do anything! But to double sling, shop and nurse at once!! You are my GURU!!
Too bad it's too late. I wish I had met you 17 months ago!!! WOW!
Joline

And that Austrailian side lying position! I had read the book but never checked out the website. If I had even imagined such a thing I might have successfully coslept with my twins!! Amazing!
THanks for the link.

Holy cow I'm impressed. I never got the hang of double slinging as I felt my arms were pinned too far apart to do anything! But to double sling, shop and nurse at once!! You are my GURU!!
Too bad it's too late. I wish I had met you 17 months ago!!! WOW!
Joline

Yeah, double slinging definately isn't something I could have done while cooking or doing housework or anything, but you can walk beside the cart to push it & stand sideways while you put stuff in the cart & pay & such, it's not easy, but easier than trying to do all the above with 2 screaming kids & everyone staring at you (I know, I now have 2 almost 2 yr olds who have suddenly decided they need to be carried in stores (both of them) & NOT on my back, that just doesn't work (it might w/ a sling but we've had a "no nursing in stores" rule for quite awhile now & the second they get in a sling they think they need to nurse (since it's "right there" LOL) so I refuse to consider that option.)